Can opener and reshaper



Feb- 8, 1949. A. H. wlTHRow CAN OPENER AND RESHAPER Fiid April 1o, 194e INVENTOR. y

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Affare/V675 Patented Feb. 8, 1949 UNITED STATES 4WBATE'IWI' OFFICE Y i 2,461,015-V r i 'y CAN OPENER AND RESHAPER Andrew H. Withrow, Cincinnati, Ohio Application April l0, 1946, Serial -No. 661,*(l

2 Claims. l

This invention relates to can openers and is particularly directed to a type of can opener adapted to remove the entire top of the can and adapted to be revolved around the can for this purpose. The invention is further concerned with an improved method for opening cans.

.In view of the more recent developments in the 4can art, it is now recommended that the housewife leave the contents of the can Within the can even after the can has been opened. The can material has now been treated so that it is no longer possible for contamination of the food to occurbecause of contact with the metal. Accordingly, if the housewife or the user of the canned food productdesires to use only a portion of the food contained, the balance may be left in the can for future use and' merely stored in the icebox.

yAs a result of this la problem has arisen as to properlyeovering thetop af, the can to prevent the entrance of dust or other foreign matter into the food. In other Words, a suitable cover should be maintained over the can and this has not been possible after the can top is removed through the use of the conventional type of can opener.

Therefore, it has been Vthe object of the present inventor to provide an improved can opener and method of opening the can whereby the top of the can is severed around the entire circumfer is inherent in the normal ence and in such manner as to constitute the re- ""'I' moved top portion as' a'lid for replacement on top of the can for protecting the contents remaining unused as when it is desired to store the same.

This objective contemplates appropriate forming of the Vcan top so that it will receive the lid or the side just below the top a sufiicient distance to provide a rim or circular lip which may be engaged over the can when the removed top is used as a lid.

It has been a still further object to provide a device of this character which will perform all of the operations in on-e continuous movement, that is to say, will act upon the material of the can deforming it, so that it will later receive the lid portion, at the time of the cutting operation and further, to cause the cutting operation to be effective without the necessity for internal support even though the cut is made slightly spaced down from the' flange or bead attaching the original cover of the can.

In conjunction with the above object, the cutting means is designed so that it will have a slicing action in addition to the rolling action which moves it around the can, which slicing action rotating means which feeds theV can opener.

It has ybeen a still further object of the present inventor to provide means for placing the can opener in -position over the circumferential lip at the top of the can and including means for causing a clinching or grippingaction holding the opener in position and causing it to feed more readily as itsvfeeding elements are rotated.

It has been a still further objectrof the present inventor to provide ya forming-roll incorporated in the can opener which will not only taper the upper end of the can :but will aid the operation tapering the upper end by indenting the material slightly to decreasey the overall diameter of the top of the can andwhich will leave the lower end of the tapered portion smooth in order that the lid, when inserted over the tapered portion, will engage thesmooth portion for a sealed connection. a

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be more fully apparent from the drawings in which:

Figure -1 is a vertical sectional view taken through the opener showing a portion of a can and illustrating the beginning of the operation if severing the top portion .of the can.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2 2, Figure 1, detailing the gearing and illustrating the eccentric arrangement for clamping the can opener in position for cutting.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3,

Figure 1, illustrating the gripping and feeding rolls. f

Figure 4 is a general view of the can showing the lid portionrsevered and the can formed for receiving the .lid portion Referringrto the drawings, `the can opener is illustrated in the process ofscutting off the top of a can and forming the can to receive the cut-away top whichis thereafterused as a lid. The can being opened is'indicated `at I 0 and the lid section at I I, Figure 4, showing the top fully severed and the upper margin yof the `can tapered as at'I2 for receiving the lid section;

The can opener,l embodiment disclosed herein includes a body I3 carrying the cutting element I4, the formingy roll Ida. and the gripping rolls I5 and I6. The cutting elementv I4 is iixed on the lower end of a shaft l1 by means of a pin I8. The elements Ma and I5 are-'loosely mounted von the shaft. The shaftis journalled in the body I3, the

upper end of the shaft being provided with a shoulder I9 for securing it against downward displacement.

The shaft I 1 includes a gear 20 fixed thereto -by means of a key 2I, thegear being disposed inl A shaft 24 disposed in the body parallel to the shaft il' carries `a gear 25 which is larger than and meshes with the gear 20. This gear 25 is fixed to the shaft by means of a key 26. The lower -end of this shaft carries the gripping roll I6 which is disposed adjacent the gripping roll I5 formed on the element I4. These rolls and the cutting and forming elements have an important relationship to the can seam which will be later described in detail.

The shaft 24 is rotated by hand for rotating the cutting element I4 and the roll I6'by means of a handle 2 fixed on the upper end of the shaft by a pin 25. The handle includes a cross member 2S for gripping purposes.

The'shaft 2@ is directly journaled in a clamping lever St. This lever includes arms 3l--3I straddlingthe casing portion 22 of the body I3 and a handle extension 32. The handle eXtension extends outwardly on a plane above the top of the body so as to clear the top of the can and provide working clearance for the hand of the-operator. The arms 3I--3I may be in separate pieces, one formed on the handle and the other bent downwardly from,l an attaching flange 33, as at 34, then extending beneath the body,` I3.

These arms include circular bosses 35--35 eX- tending toward each other in the top and bottom walls of the casingsection 22 and journalling the shaft 2li. The shaft is eccentrically mounted with respect to the bosses and thus when the handle is swung as shown in dotted'lines (Figure 2) the shaft 24 is moved away from the shaft I'I.

he purpose of this clamping lever to to move the gripping and guiding rolls I5 and 6` close together so as to'gripthe flange36 of the cam. This flangeusually isconstituted by a formed portion on the can lid which is crimped'over the upper edge of the can body. The margin ofthe lid is bent upwardly over the can edge and downwardly as shown.

The roll i6 includes al tapered portion 31 providing a lowermost circular edge 38 which engages in the corner 29 of the flange '36. The roll lengages the outer wall of the can just beneath the downwardly extended flange portion 4I). Thus, when the lever i-s swung for clamping, the rolls tightly gripthe flange and prevent removal or accidental displacement of the opener as well r as guiding the opener around the can edge.

These elements E'Eand I6 are knurled and therefore have a frictional gripon the lip-or flange of the can or its adjacent areas which causes feeding of the opener around the can as the handle 2l' is rotated.

Thus, the cutting element i4 is rotated and moved around the can wall just below the roll l5. The element includes a circular cutting edge 4I which severs the portionl iI from the can. Beneath this edge is the tapered roll Ma tapering downwardly inwardly from the cutting edge. This tapered roll is loosely mounted on the shaft and forms a tapered portion on the upper end of the can. Accordingly, thev lid portion II will lit on the tapered portion aftercomplete severance. lThe tapered portion has sufficient draft so as' toreceive the flange or rim 43 of the lid portion.

:The gear 2o being smaller than the gear 25; the cutting disc element I4 will be rotated at higher speed'than the element i6 thus rotatively slicing its way through the can wall. This makes it possible to cut through without interior support.

The elements Ifia and I5 roll loosely on their shaft il' around the can. A nut engaging a shoulder on the lower end of the shaftV I'I holds the roller Nia in position against the cutting element i4. The roller I'5 rolls freely between the cutting element and the boss 23 of the body I3.

The forming element Illa includes flutes Mb which are sharp enough to indent (Figure 4) the material of the can slightly so as to decrease the diameter at the top ci the tapered can portion. Accordingly the severed lid section II may be easily received upon the tapered portion. The utes. taper off to nothing at the lower end of the forming roll so as vto maintain an uninterrupted smooth can wall contour at the base of the tapered portion. This prevents leakage between the lid and the can'when the lid is in place.-

Ih order to aidin the operation of fastening of theopener on the can, a handle or grip member is` rigidly attached to the body i3. This grip member consists of a straight bar extending oppcsitely to the normal direction of the extension y of the handle 32 of the lever 3B. The bar includes screw threaded into the body.

Having described my invention,` I claim-z 1l A1 can opener comprising; a supporting body structure, a pair of gripping rolls, said rolls mounted in said supporting structure`4` on parallel axes and substantially adjacent each other, one of the gripping'rolls adapted to engage the internal periphery of the -end seam of a'can andthe other adapted to engage the external periphery of the can just below the end seam of the can, means for rotating said grippingirolls, acutter fixed to the axis of rotationof the external gripping rollV andadaptedto sever the side wallvof the can on a circumferential line below said last-named grippingroll to provide a depending flange for the cap portion, and a forming roll mounted on thecutter axis below the cutter for-tapering the upper portion ofthe can justbelow the cut so that it will receive the severed lid portion.

2; A can opener comprising; a supporting body structure, a pair of gripping' rolls, said rolls mounted in said supportingA structure on parallel axesand substantially adjacent each other,l onev of the gripping rolls adapted to engage the internal periphery of the end seamV of a can and the other `adapted to engage the external periph.- ery of, the can means for rotating said gripping rolls, a cutter fixed to the axis of rotation of the external gripping roll and adapted to sever the side wall of the can on a circumferential line below said last-named gripping roll to provide a depending iiange for the severed cap portion, and forming means' mounted on the cutter axis adjacent the cutter for tapering-the portion of the can adjacent the cut so that the severed lid portion-will t over the open can;

ANDREW H. WITHROVV.v

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of recordV in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,393,412 Waller Oct. ll, 1921 1,608,864 Rogginger Nov. 30, 1926 1,756,487 Hilliard Apr. 29, 1930 2,145,430 New Jan. 31, 1939 

